Sunday, December 29, 2013

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 가족!

I cannot believe that Christmas has come and gone, but it definitely was very memorable. This past Tuesday (Christmas Eve), there was a mission conference. We learned more about what it meant to be an effective missionary, but also remembered to be us. Also, we got to see pictures of our families. I must say that I love the picture you sent because Tiffany was 12 and tiny. Haha. When the picture was on the screen Sis. Saunders yelled "Who is that Filipino family?!" I laughed because everyone thinks I am from the Philippines...that or some type of Asian mix. The best compliment is when they think I am Korean, but that only happens because the said person was completely drunk. Another highlight of Christmas Eve conference is that I got to spend it with family aka. Sis. Blickenstaff. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of us together but know that we were actually together.

So, Sis. Saunders and Sis. Carter made it a point to celebrate Christmas the real way. They bought a ton of presents for me and Sis. Kim, wrapped them, addressed them from Santa, and then placed them under our tinsel tree. Well, Sis. Kim and I have absolutely no self-control or impulse control. Anytime there was an opportunity to shake or touch the presents, we would. Well, on the night before Christmas eve, I thought it would be a good idea to sneak out of bed and steal some presents. I would have gotten away with it, but I decided to laugh. Immediately, Sis. Saunders and Carter jump out of bed and yell "YA!" I throw the presents at Sis. Kim and she hid them underneath her blanket. Well, Sis. Saunders and Sis. Carter found the presents and then proceeded to spank us with those very presents. Yes, Sis. Kim and I are four years old. 

Christmas was amazing! We opened presents and was able to spend our Christmas morning with the Billings. They are from Utah, but will be in Korea for 3 years because Bro. Billings is in the military. We made ginger bread temples, ate a really good breakfast, played Phase 10, and opened presents. After breakfast, Sis. Kim and I returned home and celebrated with 수지 자매님 . We gave away a lot of our candy that we received, helped people, and caroled on streets. We also visited some of the members in the Miguem area. Sis. Kim and I bought 남경연 자매님 a nice, but inexpensive sweater. She absolutely loved it and was so grateful for it. Although being away from family and friends during the holidays is hard, this Christmas has definitely been one of my favorites. 

This past Saturday, Sis. Kim and I went to 광주 (GwangJoo) which is about 50-60 minutes away from our house. We met with 2 sweet sisters who were interested in learning English, but also a little more about the gospel. We were only planning to be there for 1 hour, but they had prepared all of this dumpling meat and batter. So we spent a few hours chatting about religion and making dumplings. It was a great way to break the ice and now both of the sisters want to have us over to learn more about our church. It was amazing!

It snows quite a bit here in Seoul, but it doesn't ever stick. The snowflakes are humongous though. They are literally the size of my eyeball...I am so glad my eyes are small. If not, I would be blinded every time it snows. It is super cold, but I have a coat and I think I am buying another one this Thursday after the temple. Yay! Don't worry, I will buy boots and such on Thursday too. We are planning on going to 강남 (Gangnam), which is known for super cheap, quality clothes. ^^

Also, Sis. Kim is probably one of the most hilarious people I know. I would like to share some gems of hers with you.

After realizing she has gained some weight (20 lbs) - "Sis. Chao, I sacrificed my face for Jesus."

"If I stay in this squatting pose, all of the weight will just flush out of my bottom."

She literally cannot bake because she is super Asian and doesn't measure anything. It is awesome because it reminds me of home a lot. MOM! 

Well, have a wonderful new year and I will talk to you in January! I cannot believe how fast time is flying! Also, do not worry about sending me presents...Korea has pretty much everything I need.

Love,

차오 자매

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